Subscribe to this blog

Subscribe to my blog posts via email

Search This Blog

Pages

Cucina Conversations: Limoncello - Lemon Liqueur

The enjoyment of having a
pre-dinner drink to whet my appetite, or as Italians woul say - un aperitivoper stuzzicare l'appetito, is very much a tradition I experienced while holidaying in Italy. A
quintessential Italian concept in step with their dolce vita and spirit that enabled me to connect with family and
friends on my whirlwind visit. What grew in popularity in my parent’s
and many Italian households here in Australia however, and what I am more accustomed to, is
its sister drinks – digestivi
(digestives). An excuse to extend the evening that little bit longer, a
digestive is offered along with a few biscotti or walnuts placed on the table, perhaps a game of
cards all in the best tradition of Italian hospitality. Digestives as the
name suggests, are predominantly served to aid digestion and a lovely way of
concluding a meal, but also known to be offered as
a welcome drink served as small shots and sipped due to their high level
content of alcohol. Their flavours are complex mixtures of herbs, roots, barks,
berries, spices, flowers and citrus peels.
They are not overly sweet, and due to their general bitterness, are
classified as amari.

This month’s Cucina Conversations topic is based around these two
Italian rituals which play an important role in Italian social life. It is not only expressed through drinks but also related finger foods. So while Italy is enduring a very hot summer
and enjoying many aperitivi to remain
cool before dinner, I’m dabbling in a little limoncello (lemon liqueur) making to serve as either a welcome
drink or a digestive. I thought I would also share a recipe for sweet limoncetti that I will be making again to be enjoyed with this liqueur, in welcoming the long
awaited spring in a few weeks and an upcoming family birthday.

The cristalliera (crystal
cabinet) is where my parents have always kept their favourite and prized
liqueur bottles, preserved cherries in grappa, or the bitter herbal amari such as the intensely flavoured amaro lucano from their region of
Basilicata, thecenterba, fernet as well as cynar.And did I mention that
mysteriously clear spirit in a non labelled bottle known as home-made grappa, that only in my adult years I
came to learn of its origins?

So the story goes like this, my father would make his wine and
the vinacce (pressed grape skins)
would be passed onto his friend or my uncle who would distil it into this fiery
spirit. A bottle would then be gifted
back as a thank you gesture to be used either in preserving cherries or sipped neat in
good company and even added to the after dinner espresso known as caffe’ corretto. These age old traditions were
passed on but have slowly faded with time and may I add, these were processes undertaken
correctly. Making grappa at home is now illegal in Australia and known to be
deadly if not produced correctly, so I don’t encourage any serious home brewing
of this kind. But a liqueur such as a limoncello is one that is very simple to make and well within the
legal realm.

Most
famously associated and produced from Sorrento,
the Amalfi coast, and the island of
Capri but popular throughout all of Italy, limoncello
is also often made at home from steeping lemon peel in grain alcohol until the
oil is released, and then sweetened with sugar syrup. It has an intensely fresh citrus flavour and the
degree of sweetness is adjusted depending on the base alcohol used. Papa` had
his first taste of home-made limoncello
made from those lemons found along the Costiera
Amalfitana. This coastal road between the port city of Salerno and cliff
top Sorrento winds past cliff side lemon groves; lemons that are ideal for this
liqueur due to their thick uneven skin. My cousin’s wife from Salerno had made her own bottles and served it
chilled after a meal at a family gathering.
It was here that she shared the recipe, and inspired papa` to make his
own using lemons from his tree and what would be the last of this grappa.

Notes on alcohol used:

The basics of the recipe are super easy but the only problem is
that it needs a very high proof of alcohol content. Limoncello is normally made with a grain alcohol, but this recipe substitute’s with vodka or grappa, as it is more readily available. It is not possible to obtain pure alcohol here in Australia and have read that in certain areas of North America, pure alcohol can only be sold to professionals who have a special license. If you reside in Italy however, you may have better luck. Not only is it more accessible but cheaper in price as well. Grappa is an alcoholic beverage, a fragrant grape-based pomace brandy of Italian origin that contains 35 to 60 per cent alcohol by volume. Papa` made his limoncello with home brewed grappa; it's alcohol level was unknown. I made mine with store bought vodka and conclude
that the grappa based is superior but vodka still makes a pretty good limoncello. When selecting the vodka that you are going to
use, the higher the proof, the more lemon flavour your finished brew will have.
Alternatively, leave the lemon in the alcohol to infuse double the time, and
halve the amount of sugar syrup.

Notes on lemons:

When choosing the lemons, it’s extremely important to go for the highest possible quality. The best lemons are medium to large, with an elliptical shape and a thick peel such as the Lisbon or Eureka. The lemons must be untreated as the peel is what will be used, so organic lemons are the best. Any pesticides or even just waxing (commonly applied to help preserve the citrus’ moisture) would end up in the finished product.

Limoncello (Lemon Liqueur)

Ingredients:

250 ml of pure alcohol (95 per cent proof) or grappa
(35 to 60 per cent proof) or vodka (40 per cent proof)

5 untreated (organic) lemons

400 g white sugar (200 g if
using grappa or vodka)

250 ml water (125 ml if using grappa or vodka)

Preparation:

Gently scrub the lemons under running water, and then carefully
remove the outer yellow coloured part of the peel using a vegetable peeler. The white
pith has a bitter flavour and needs to be discarded.

The next step is to soak the lemon peel in the alcohol. Pour the
alcohol in a glass jar with lid that can be closed tightly. Add the lemon peel, seal and then keep in a cool dark place for 5 days if using a vodka or grappa base, and half
the amount of time for pure alcohol. The aromatic oils
will gradually dissolve in the alcohol, which will turn yellow and fragrant.

Prepare the sugar syrup (according to alcohol base quantities given
above) by bringing together the water and sugar and heat gently until dissolved,
then let it cool off. Filter the alcohol to remove the macerated peel, and then add it to the syrup. Pour the mix of syrup and flavoured
alcohol in a favourite glass bottle and seal. Limonello
is served chilled, and can be kept for up to 2 years in the fridge or even longer
in the freezer as the high percentage of alcohol will prevent it from freezing. There are several recipes for aperitivi I have also come across using limoncello such as theCocktail - Limoncello & Proseccothat I'll be trying during the summer months ahead. But before we drink a toast (fare un brindisi), there are some limoncetti sweets that also deserve a mention below.

Limoncetti

Limoncello
was used as one of the ingredients in making these amaretti – technically no longer amaretti as the name suggests, as the bitter almond essence was
replaced with the limoncello and
grated lemon peel. This is an
adaptation of my mother in laws amaretti recipe. Makes 30

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Add the limoncello and mix through. Gently fold in the dry ingredients with the egg whites until combined. The mixture
should be firm but of a sticky consistency.

Add icing sugar in a separate bowl. Roll walnut sized amount of mixture
into balls and coat in the icing sugar.

Place each ball on the tray, leaving some space between. They
will not grow in size when baked, but will slightly puff and cracks will appear on the
surface.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until just lightly coloured. They should not
be overcooked as this will harden them. They should be slightly crusty on the
outside and moist in the centre when cooled.

Join the rest of my fellow bloggers and check out their suggested aperitivi.Rosemary at Turin Mamma will share two respective recipes for negroni - the true and the less alcoholic cocktail drink known as the negroni sbagliato, while Francesca at Pancakes and Biscottiwill make her polpette di melanzane as an aperitivo snack. Daniela at La Dani Gourmetwill pair a glass of Bolgheri Rosato wine with some delicious marinated anchovies known as acchiughe alla povera, while Lisa at Italian Kiwiwill make some mouth watering crostini with ricotta, figs and prosciutto; and Marialuisa at Marmellata di Cipolle will surprise us with some delicious finger food and talk about a prosecco made in Calabria.Cin cin!

Get link

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Other Apps

Get link

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Other Apps

Comments

The cookies sound divine! I made some limoncello a few years ago after getting some pure alcohol in Italy. In France, they don't sell it either. It really is satisfying to make your own! I love the sound of the limoncello and Prosecco cocktail!

They're a burst of flavour and easy to make Lisa and so was the limoncello as you know. I came across other varied cocktails, one that I thought went a little too far which included a scoop of lemon sorbet! Hanging out for summer so that I too can enjoy some aperitivi. xx

How funny! I'd completely forgotten how the sale of 95 per cent edible alcohol is illegal in Australia. In Italy, it's just a matter of going to your local supermarket and paying about 12 euro a bottle. Oh well, a neutral vodka or grappa works well too, though it doesn't need to be diluted with as much syrup/water as the super alcoholic stuff. I've got some green walnuts infusing in some of it right now, but I'm very tempted to give your limoncello a try too, as we have some lovely lemon trees in Castelnuovo. These biscuits sound lovely as well.

Post a comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rosette
Soffiate, or puffed rosette rolls are probably one of the hardest bread types I
have attempted to make. It has taken me
many attempts and still cannot claim that I have achieved the hollow centre being 'the' inherent
characteristic of this Italian panino.
This month, our CucinaConversations topic is all about bread, and provides us with an opportunity to learn more about the many bread types found in the different
regions of Italy. There are claims that there are over 350 types of bread in
Italy, of which many are specific to their regions while others are more widespread and
exist based around religious, utilitarian or prepared for celebrations.

This rosetta
roll is ideal and typically used for fillings due to its hollow centre. In the
Friuli-Venezia region of Italy, a region which borders Austria, rosette rolls are similar to Austrian bread, and have a soft, compact crumb. Like those in Austria, they are sprinkled
with poppy seeds. Rosette rolls produced in Milan…

Cassatelle are typical
Sicilian pastries filled with lemon scented ricotta, and also known as cassateddi in Sicilian dialect. The name derives from the word cassata, and by adding the
diminutive suffix ‘ella’ you get the word cassatella, a smaller individual serving. An assortment of these pastries can be found in different regions of Sicily and are considered traditional
deserts for the Carnevale and Easter
period. In researching this topic, I become enthralled by the history behind the most complex of cassate from Palermo through to these more simple-to-make pastries from Siracusa, and therefore could not help but share some of its history with you.
Sicily is known as the sweets
centre of Italy, and it appears that the most colourful and famous cassatasiciliana in all its glory, is one of the reasons. It is believed to have originated in Palermo,
made with sheep’s milk ricotta – at its richest and herbaceous during Spring; and containing other ingredients prevalent to the area suc…

When I think of chestnuts, I reminisce about my birth town - Domodossola, where I was first introduced to this distinctive flavoured nut. We were fortunate to live close to Sacro Monte Calvario, a mountain lined with chestnut trees. My mother cooked many dishes which used this flavorsome nut, especially sweets such as these panzerotti di castagne & cioccolato. Withthis sweet mamma has more recently substituted the chestnut filling with chickpeas as they are readily available all year round and knowing that my papa`enjoys this sweetmade frequently.

Chestnut season is a favourite for our whole family and we are of the belief that if you've never had a freshly roasted chestnut you haven't lived. We often visit Daylesford in country Victoria around autumn to purchase them fresh and enjoy them roasted at the farmers markets.

This recipe is a variation of panzerotti / tortelli di ceci which I have shared previously with you. The filling is more delicate in texture and lighter t…